Inspection of State Leaders, Departments Centres on Legal Amendments

State leaders, heads of government, top legislators and other high-ranking officials will undergo inspection following the approval of the amended Inspection Law of the National Assembly (NA) and Provincial Assemblies.

Members of the NA concluded a majority vote by 78 percent of those attending the ordinary session on Tuesday, passing the draft-amended law.

The newly-added Article 15 of the draft-amended law stipulates that the country’s president, vice president, prime minister, deputy prime ministers and cabinet members, who are elected or whose appointment is approved by the NA, shall be required to undergo inspection by the NA through its ordinary session.

The supreme prosecutor, president of the People’s Supreme Court, president of the State Auditing Organisation, and president of the NA, vice presidents of the NA, NA committees, NA committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons as well as the NA Secretary will also be inspected by the parliament.

Chairman of the NA Law Committee, Mr Saithong Keoduangdy told the ordinary session that it was necessary to amend the 2004-version law to meet the changing circumstances, aiming to ensure that the leaders and state organisations elected and approved by the NA function in their roles properly.

Four new parts, four new charters and 49 new articles were amended and newly added, bringing the total to eight parts, 10 chapters and 103 articles in the draft-amended law. Slight changes could be made to the structure of the law as revision could be made in accordance with recommendations from the law makers following their debate.

The NA will carry out its inspections through reports of the leaders and the regulations the leaders promulgated to ensure they coincide with the country’s constitution, state laws and resolutions of the NA.

The inspection will also be based on petitions the people submit to the parliament and other inspection mechanisms the NA has created.

Amendments also demand state organisations to undergo inspection by the NA’s mechanisms. The committee in charge of constituency affairs is mandated to carry out inspection into the performance of the NA members.

Provincial governors, the Vientiane mayor and their deputies as well as presidents of the provincial assemblies and their vice presidents along with other high-ranking provincial officials will also be inspected through the sessions of the provincial assemblies, according to the newly-added Article 56.

Inspections of targets under the responsibilities of the provincial assemblies will also be carried out.

Standing committees of both the NA and the provincial assemblies are mandated to draw up inspection plans for both parliaments to approve in order to facilitate the inspections.

Once the amended law is promulgated, Regular inspection will be carried out over the targets as stipulated by the law, Mr Saithong said, adding that the people will have trust in the inspections of both the NA and the provincial assemblies.